OG INSPIRATION

Dr. James Granger is a graduate of Howard Medical School in Washington, D.C.  Dr. Granger gives the audience tips to high schoolers and college undergraduate students. Organic chemistry is a very important class to take and understand for medical school. He also emphasizes that it is not necessary to major in pre-medicine to enter into medical school.  Chemical engineering, English, data science, or other majors can get you into medical school as long as the prerequisites are satisfied. 

Dr. Granger has been in practice for over 20 years.  His office is in Marietta, Georgia and his center is entitled "Acupuncture and Injury" which provides high-quality Auto Injury Treatment, independent medical examinations, hormone replacement therapy to patients, and Addiction Treatment to Georgia and the Greater Atlanta area. He emphasizes that process foods continue to make us sick.  Although more expensive, alkaline water is far much better. He asks the questions. Is the tradeoff of being more expensive worth it or later with trips back and forth to the doctor with sugar diabetes?   Whatever your specific need is, he and his team are highly experienced and well-prepared to provide you the care and services that you require. They also work with many chiropractors to make sure your treatment is working effectively. https://www.acupunctureandinjury.com

From injuries caused by auto or work accidents to treatment for opioid dependence is his service specialty.  Dr. James Granger, MD has written two books, “We Have Got It All Wrong!” and “What to do after you have been in a car accident.” Both books are available for purchase on Amazon and in the Apple Book Store.

Sylvia Gates was severely injured and rendered paralyzed on the left side at the age of 21 as a result of domestic violence. She defied all expectations and returned to work after a nine-month recuperation period. She worked 22 years as an educator in both public and private schools where she gained professional certification in two states.  Declining health forced her to retire at the age of 45. At the same time, she was an ordained minister serving as a pastor in a major protestant church denomination, while working towards chaplaincy credentials with the Department of Mental Health. Most recently, she successfully fought her battle with cancer through a holistic approach using "GOD'S PLAN" when chemotherapy was too cataclysmic.

Her personal experiences with sickness and tragedy; her age; her knowledge of mental, emotional, and physical health issues all give her valuable insight as she shares the lessons that she learned while going through her struggles. She bought the lessons in her life.  She proclaims that her unwavering faith in Jesus Christ offers credence to her struggle and renders strength to persevere. In her book, she shares her story and the lessons she learned going through trials.

Reverend Carey A. Grady was appointed the Pastor of Reid Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Columbia, South Carolina on November 14, 2014.

 

Rev. Carey A Grady is a native of Charleston, S.C., and a product of the public school system. He received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Howard University, Washington, D.C., and a Master of Divinity from Turner Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, GA.  While a student at Howard, Rev. Grady was a tutor and after school counselor at the Sojourner's Community Center, interned at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History in the Duke Ellington Collection, served as a Congressional Black Caucus Intern and later a Patricia Roberts Harris Intern for Congressman James Clyburn and a Communication Intern at Amnesty International in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office.While in college Rev. Grady accepted his call to Ministry and upon Graduation enrolled at the Turner Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. In Seminary, he worked in Student Government and was a Teaching Assistant to Rev. Dr. Mark Lomax, Professor of Homiletics. During his Sr. Year in Seminary Rev. Grady was assigned to pastor Bethlehem AME Church in Belton, S.C. Upon graduation, he worked for the Democratic Party of Georgia from 2000-2001Rev. Grady has pastored 4 Churches including Bethlehem AME Church, Belton, S.C.  Shiloh AME Church, McCormick, S.C. St. Peter AME Church, Decatur, Illinois, and Bethel AME Cathedral of Indianapolis, Indiana.While in S.C. he was named Minister of the Year by the McCormick County Chamber of Commerce for the 2002-2003 year. At Shiloh AME Church he led the Church in the remodeling of the sanctuary, installation of a state of the art sound system to produce tapes and CD's of the morning worship services, and the installation of Stained Glass WindowsIn February of 2005, he did the Opening Prayer at the Illinois State Assembly, State Representatives.  In October 2006 he was named clergy of the Month by the AME Christian Recorder during National Clergy Appreciation Month, in the summer of 2008, he was named "20 Under 40" by the Central Illinois Midwestern Business Journal for excellence in community and civic activity. While in Decatur, Rev. Grady and the St. Peter family were known for their Community Outreach to young people and their Radio Broadcasts.Rev. Grady has served on numerous Community and Non-Profit Boards. In McCormick, he served on the McCormick Community Development Enrichment Corporation (MCDEC), in Decatur, Illinois he served on the Neighborhood Housing Development Corporation (NHDC) and the Decatur African-American Genealogical &   Historical Society (Decatur, Illinois).Rev. Grady was a Wabash Pastoral Leadership Fellow for the 2010-2012 year: Served on the Indiana Villages Healthy Families Advisory Council and is a founding member of the Indianapolis Congregation Action Network (IndyCan), a faith-based Community Organization and affiliate of PICO People Improving Communities through Organizing.While at Bethel, the oldest African American Church in the state of Indiana, Bethel went through an extensive renovation process. Rev. Grady was also the Executive Director of the Friends of Bethel Indianapolis Community Development Corporation. He is also a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.Rev. Grady is the youngest child of Bishop ZL and Mrs. C.R. Grady and is most appreciative that at a young age he was nurtured in the faith by his parents and siblings. While Rev. Grady is well accomplished, it is important to note that he grew up with a severe Speech Impediment from age 6 until age 20. He knows he was healed by God. He lives by these words.Rev. Grady is married to Mrs. India Clemons-Grady a native of Springfield, Illinois.  Mrs. Grady is an accomplished teacher. She was a tenured teacher in the Springfield, Illinois Public School System and is presen

E-sports describes the world of competitive, organized video gaming. Competitors from different leagues or teams face off in the same games that are popular with at-home gamers: Fortnite, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Madden NFL, to name a few. Proprietor Ron Hamlin is the owner of "VIRTUAL RELOAD"  (a year and a half old company) https://virtualreload.com/, an esports coaching company that hones the skills of casual games to win scholarships from colleges and universities offering money for the skillsets of varsity players. 

Ron defines e-sports as "competitive gaming". It is a level playing opportunity that everyone has an opportunity to succeed in.  There are several genres in e-sports.  He advises parents not to push the child into an e-sport but let them discover it prior to the age of 12 or 13.  There are youth versions of games and adult versions of games.  Certain colleges offer college scholarships to play e-sports.   There are virtual camps that are available for kids to get coached. Virtual Reload is currently working with high schools to get programs started. Virginia and California have the highest high school support at this time but others are on the way. 

COVID allowed "Virtual Reload" to offer events via online settings.  E-sports is "COVID-PROOF" You can connect to the event from your house as well as coaching. Everything is available in a virtual environment and so this sport doesn't prohibit anything.  Virtual Reload is that connection between the student who has e-sport skills and the colleges and universities that offer scholarships!!!  Ron Hamlin names some of the colleges and universities that offer e-sport scholarships.

E-sports could potentially be an Olympic sport. An awesome opportunity for students that love to e-game!

Home health aides multi-task.  They are tasked to help patients with personal hygiene, dressing, bathing, just to name a few. They perform basic health care services for patients including checking vital signs or administering prescription medication.  They also help with general light housekeeping and can make transportation arrangements if possible. They are vital in any home where there happens to be a long-term illness.

Dr. Odell Glenn Jr has been a caregiver for 14 years for 2 parents.  At a certain point along his journey, he has found the need to utilize "home health aides" to supplement his journey.  During the podcast, he interviews Ms. Doris Smalls, who has 29 years of experience and happens to currently be one of his mother's home health aides during COVID, and Ms. Shameka Boyd who has 16 years of experience. 

Both home health aides share that this is a profession where it must come from one's heart. From experience, they both share the joy that comes in knowing that they have helped someone else along the way.  They both agree that although the pay is low, the reward at the end of each day speaks for itself.  Both share with us the type of characteristics one must have to embark upon such a profession. 

Mother Glenn gives the audience a prayer.

What do you get when a pastor, military veteran, and business developer joinforces? The answer could very well be the game-changer needed to revitalize a gig economy for millions of creatives whose incomes have been decimated due to COVID-19.Co-founders Andreas Parsley & Jason Wright has teamed up with Michael Dorsey and a cohort of Black creatives and designers to create LiveWaves, an easy-to-use simple social network platform that allows users to monetize their live streams and communicate with followers, minus the bombardment of ads or having your data collected and sold.

LiveWaves looks to provide buoyancy for millions of creatives in an industry whose negative impact from COVID is eclipsed only by the restaurant and hospitality business. The app serves as an all-in-one solution for users, providing the ability to schedule both pay-per-view virtual events and free events with a tip option that lets fans support artists without leaving the app. Users also have the option to set pricing and limit event tickets as they see fit.

The evolution of LiveWaves has been decade-long labor of love for co-founders Parsley and Wright, former college football teammates turned business partners who created a similar app to LiveWaves called Club2Nite back in 2012. Their journey has been a constant battle against doubt from an industry that has shown little respect and funding for many Black developers. 

This doubt continued to fuel the fire for Parsley and Wright, as they stayed prayerful and became consistent in improving the technology in their app to ensure distinction to their product as revolutionary in how social media is looked at today. “We had ideas and features on our app and website back in 2012, that platforms are just now using, we were truly ahead of our time and people just didn’t see the vision, says Wright. The pandemic allowedWright and Parsley, to connect and work alongside Dorsey and the team to rebrand its prior product and launch what we know today as LiveWaves. 

LiveWaves is available today for free through the App Store and Google Play.

Dr. Shana Jones grew up in Lexington, South Carolina (just outside of Columbia, South Carolina). She attended Lexington High School, a predominately white high school where she was one of a few African American students. She discusses with the audience her challenges and struggles and how she overcame them early on.  Dr. Shana Jones then went on to study "Biological Sciences" at Clemson University. She then attended and graduated with a medical degree from Emory Univesity in Atlanta, Georgia.  

Dr. Shana Jones educates the audience by explaining the differences between epidemiology and immunology. She also advises youth on how to best prepare for the medical field by preparing early in high school and taking a wide range of courses so that when it comes to going to medical school one can be well versed.  Dr. Jones highly recommends both Clemson Univesity and Emory University as schools to attend. 

Dr. Shana Jones shares how her research has and continues to impact the marginalized of our society. As a community leader, she advises the audience to continue to exercise their right to vote, write to local councilmen so as to ultimately implement change.

Dr. Juliana Larossi earned a Bachelor of Science in Materials Engineering from Virginia Tech, an MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington, and an Executive Doctorate in Business from Georgia State University.  She is now a clinical assistant professor at The University of South Carolina, where she teaches entrepreneurship and corporate strategy. She is also an active angel investor, mentor, and board member to emerging ventures, a judge at business plan competitions, and a speaker as to what it takes to transform organizations and build new ventures. She uses her experience, networks, and knowledge to further entrepreneurship research, to develop and support aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs, and to strengthen the bond between the business and academic community to ensure students have hands-on and real-world insight by the time they finish her courses.  She explains all of the above in this podcast.

Dr. Charles Kapungwe is a living, walking example of what dedication, perseverance, will, and drive will do.  He came to the United States from Zambia, Africa to pursue education and now has several degrees, has written several books, and has pastored several churches here in the United States as well as in Africa.  The journey was not the easiest but Dr. Charles gives detailed insight.  A graduate of one of the oldest HBCU's in the USA, namely, Allen University in Columbia, SC. Dr. Charles Kapungwe received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology.  He then went on to obtain his Master of Divinity Degree as well as finished his medical school from the Cayman Islands.  He is a man of many hats.  Doctor, author, and reverend has become such titles.  To this day, he continues to travel to and fro, from the United States to Zambia fulfilling purpose and destiny.

Jeff Pollak received a bachelor's degree in psychology from The State University of New York at Buffalo and a law degree from Southwestern University in Los Angeles, California.  He advises us of the ins and outs of going and preparing for law school. He provides tips on how to properly prepare oneself for law school by first taking the LSAT. He explains to us his role as a civil trial lawyer prior to retirement.  He then gives a synopsis of his novel entitled "FIRST SECOND COMING" and what motivated him to write it. Captivating, gripping, prescient, unique is how reviewers describe "FIRST SECOND COMING". Will humans set aside their petty squabbles and cooperate side by side to solve world problems?  Or will Earth's new God, a planetary turnaround specialist, ensure the planet's survival by extinguishing the human race? This fascinating concept is a perfect blend of suspense, romance, fantasy, and theology.